"Poison control centers are the target of federal budget cuts. House Republicans voted to cut more than 90% of funding and have just one national poison hotline. That would shut down 56 state and regional centers including the one in Illinois.

Every year the Illinois Poison Center in Chicago answers more than 90 thousand calls from families and healthcare professionals.
Kris Sherrill, with Southern Illinois Healthcare and the poison center, says those phone calls save lives and money.

"In 75% of the cases the Illinois Poison Center can take care of the situation right there and the person doesn't have to seek care at the emergency department," said Sherrill, "that's a huge savings."

A study cited by the Department of Health and Human Services says every dollar spent on poison control centers, saves seven dollars in health care spending.
House Republicans proposed cutting all but two million of the $29 million budget, closing the Illinois Poison Center and others across the country leaving only the one D.C.

"If they cut $27 Million then the next year they're gonna spend one billion because that's how much money poison centers save overall across the country," said Carol DesLauriers, Operations Director for the Illinois Poison Center.

Supporters of the proposal say there's no need for 57 similar call centers throughout the US, especially with today's technology.
But poison control centers say local relationships and knowledge of local toxins are invaluable resources."

Source: http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=12747&type=top

By now we all know that the Republican Party couldn't care less about public health. Its aim is to privatize as many services as possible because it sees in private enterprise the ultimate cure for all of our problems. The right will never admit that there are things that the government can do better due to its size, philosophy and nature.